The Night We Shared
by Bullet Nick
Summary: Sonic and Amy are on a mission, but after an explosion, both of them are forced to spend a night in the forest together, but neither of them expected to share it like this...


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or any of that, all that belong to Sega.

This was a little idea I had a few days ago, I just wanted to see if I could write it. Don't hesitate to leave your opinion in a review. Any helpful advice is welcome. Also, if you see any mistakes, like a missing word or mixed up words, you let me know as soon as possible, so I can fix it.

**The Night We Shared**

The X-Tornado was flying above the hills, its pilot trying analyzing the ground below him. Tails was looking for anything that would help him. Anything at all…but still, nothing. He'd been looking all day, but he was still empty-handed. It was frustrating. He let out a yawn, and was thinking of already turning back.

"You still haven't found anything, Tails?"

Tails turned to look back at Amy, who was obviously bored and tired from their scouting. It had been already six hours since they left, and they still had not found a single trace of Eggman's new base. Wherever it was, it was well hidden.

"No. Even the radar shows nothing suspicious."

"Are you sure this is where the energy spikes were coming from?"

A few days ago, Tails had spotted very high energy spikes in this area. And since they hadn't seen Eggman in a long time, ever since they destroyed his base, Tails became very suspicious. He had suggested going alone to check if the base was there, but things didn't turn out that way.

He didn't want to put his friends in any possible danger. Even though the plan was simple: simply check if the base was there. There was no planned attack, and Tails had configured the X-Tornado to be as stealthy as possible. But he had never planned to find it so frustrating. After hours of fruitless searching, he was tired and wanted to go back home.

"I'm positive, Amy. This is where the radar shows those energy spikes came from." He reinforced. He tried to sound as if he was sure of it, but in reality he was thinking that this was just a dead end.

"Well, it sure doesn't look like it." She commented, knowing that if she had known this would've happened, she would've stayed at home.

"I'll check one more place, and then I turn back, okay?"

"Fine. Just make it quick."

Amy leaned on the window. She had given up searching hours ago. It was so boring. She didn't even know why she signed up for this mission anyway. Probably because she actually wanted something to happen, but it was just as frustrating as trying to get Sonic to notice her.

Sonic…still the same elusive hedgehog. No matter how much Amy tried, he never gave in to her. She had even hoped that he would do something special for her on her thirteenth birthday, but it was just like every other birthday. And that was a month ago. And Amy was still single, and yet, with every day that went by, her love didn't diminish. Rather, it grew with every time she saw him, every moment that he was near her. It was almost as if her desire only grew with her hopes.

Of course, the fact that she tried to be with him as much as he could only added fuel to the fire of her heart. So when Sonic said he'd come along to this mission too, it was obvious that the girl would do the same.

That was probably why she was in this mission. And even though she didn't find anything, she still found it thrilling to watch Sonic run below her, exploring the ground to make sure that Tails didn't miss anything.

How could she explain it? Just seeing him made her happy. Most of the time, anyway. Whenever he would drive her crazy, she never hesitated in bringing out her hammer, to try and get some sense in his head. But most of the time, Sonic just made her feel so, so…she didn't know how to phrase it. All she knew was that she wanted the hedgehog more than anything in her life. She was madly in love with him.

Down below, Sonic was getting tired of this as well. He wasn't tired from running, but running around for hours looking for something that wasn't there wasn't fun. And because Tails had told him that he had to make sure that they didn't miss anything, Sonic focused on the mission. But after hours of searching and finding nothing, his patience was wearing thin. He wanted to go back now. Besides, he hadn't eaten anything ever since they left, and Sonic would do anything for some chili dogs right now.

He ran up one of the trees, and then jumped off and landed squarely on the wing of the X-Tornado.

"Hey Tails, can we go back now? We've been here for hours and we've got nothing."

"Fine, I'll turn back the plane." He figured that he was right. They had wasted a lot of time already, there wasn't any sense in staying any longer.

Tails then changed direction and headed back home. As much as he was convinced that he was right, his frustration began to make him doubt. Maybe he had made a mistake somewhere, maybe he overlooked something. Whatever it was, he couldn't dwell on it right now. Right now, he wanted to go home, have a quick dinner and go to sleep. The sun was getting ready to set down on the horizon, and his brain really needed a break.

"Hey, don't worry, buddy. We'll find Eggman, I'm sure. As long as we don't give up, we can do anything." Sonic reassured Tails from the plane.

"Thanks, Sonic, but right now, let's just go home. I need to sleep."

"Yeah. So do I." he replied, as he leaned on the plane. So maybe they didn't find anything. Sooner or later, they would find Eggman. Either by finding his new base or until he showed his ugly face again. But still, the doctor had not attacked for almost two weeks, and Sonic figured it was unlikely that he'd do it right now. In any case, he closed his eyes and tried to doze off a little, and perhaps when he'd got home, he'd probably run a few-

BOOM!

The noise startled Sonic, who got up to his feet immediately.

"What was that?" Amy asked from the back seat, and looked at Tails, hoping he'd explain. But he was just as confused as Amy was. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. The plane was functioning perfectly, nothing was damaged, and none of them were harmed. He looked around at the forest below; there was nothing different about it.

"I don't know. It sounded like an explosion, but I don't see anything." Tails replied, sounding just as confused as the two hedgehogs were.

"Then…what? What was that?" Sonic asked, and checked to see if he could spot anything from his spot, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Apart from that noise, everything was normal. "I don't see-"

BOOM!

The same noise, only this time, the X-Tornado was hit by something, creating a small explosion. All of sudden, bits and pieces of metal, wires, glass and plastic were sent flying. Sonic immediately threw himself face down on the wing to grab a hold of something, and hanged on to the edge of the wing for dear life.

"Hold on! We're going to have a crash landing!" Tails screamed from the back seat. He didn't know what happened, all he knew was that the plane was out of control, and the only way to stop it was to make a hard landing. As he struggled with the controls, he saw that it was starting to malfunction, and now large chunks of the plane were flying away.

"Tails!" Amy screamed from her back seat. The explosion had happened only a few feet behind her, but the cockpit was damaged, and her seat was loose. Amy knew that she wouldn't be in the plane for long if he didn't do somthing. It seemed as though her seat would be ripped off from the plane any minute.

"Hold on, Amy!" Tails screamed. But what could he do? Just hope that he could manage to fly this thing.

But still, Amy's seat did separate from the plane. But just as she felt herself flying, she realized that her wrist was held. Sonic had caught her just in time. He thanked his lucky stars he had managed to grab her.

"Hang on tight, Amy!" He screamed. He held her as strong as he could; there was no way he would let her go. Just then, he felt the wing shaking. He looked up, and saw that the wing was starting to break up as well. If the wing separated from the plane…both he and Amy were in big trouble. He looked at the ground. It would not be a nice landing. He was pretty sure he'd break something if he fell.

"Tails, do something, quick!" Sonic pleaded. But just as he finished, the wing suddenly exploded, and Sonic and Amy were sent flying, and were at the mercy of gravity. As he was falling, Sonic could see Amy hanging on to him for dear life, but there was nothing we could do. All he could do was hope that they could survive this fall…

The first thing he hit was a tree branch. After that, all he could see was darkness. He lost consciousness.

It felt so peculiar, like a dream…

_Sonic…_

_Sonic! Sonic, wake up!_

_Sonic, come back! Sonic, are you there? Sonic, wake up!_

Slowly, Sonic felt his limbs again. His chest, his head, his arms and legs all came back to him. And the moment he felt his body again, he was flooded with pain. Pain, everywhere. In his arms, his legs, his back. He felt pangs of pain all over his body. The pain wasn't very strong, but the fact that it was everywhere was enough to make him weak.

_Sonic, can you hear me?_

Trying to hold back the pain, he opened his eyelids. At first, he was greeted with darkness, unclear shapes trying to come into focus. But soon, they became clear, and saw a worried Amy sitting next to him, in a clearing in the middle of the forest, and it was already dark, it was night, as he could see a crescent moon shining above him, along with thousands of stars.

"Sonic, you're okay!" She said, and then hugged him tightly. However, Amy's hug only intensified the pain as she put even more pressure on his bruises and cuts, making Sonic wince from the sharp increase in pain.

"Amy, let go!" He screamed, and she immediately released him, suddenly feeling stupid for doing such a thing.

"I'm sorry, Sonic. It's just that I was worried about you."

"I'm hurting all over!" Sonic looked at her, angry and almost wishing she weren't there. He sat up from the ground and looked at himself. He had bruises and cuts all over. But worst of all, his legs hurt. He could feel that something happened to them. His legs were weak, and although he was feeling pain all over, his legs hurt more than anything else. With every heartbeat, he felt his limbs throbbing with pain, burning his muscles.

"You took a pretty nasty fall, Sonic. Especially in your legs." Amy replied, hurt reflected in her voice from his harsh reply.

"No kidding." He replied harshly, annoyed that she was stating what was obvious. One look at her face, though, and he could see the hurt in her face.

_You shouldn't be so mean to her. She's just worried about you, that's all._

_But she's just so clingy, that she has to hug me even when it's obvious I'm in pain._

_She didn't mean it. The least you could do is apologize._

Damn. Why did he always have to argue with himself every time something like this happened? It was annoying. But still, he knew he was a bit rude. And she was just trying to be nice.

"Sorry, Amy. It's just that I'm in pain right now."

"Yeah, so am I." Sonic then turned to look at her. She was right, there were also bruises and cuts on her body, and a few scratches in her dress, but she seemed to be okay. At least see looked better than he did. If she was in pain, she was hiding it well.

"Do you know what happened?" He asked, as he was trying to get up. As soon as he was up in his two feet, though, the pain in his legs became stronger and felt like he couldn't balance himself. Amy noticed this, and quickly stood up to catch his fall.

"Be careful, Sonic. You hurt your legs pretty badly. Just sit down for a moment." She tried to get him to sit down. He was reluctant, but let her help him sit down again. As he sat down once again, he realized it was a bit cold out here. His legs were shivering, and he could feel a breeze running over his body, threatening to spend chills down his spine.

"What happened, Amy?"

"Well, I don't remember much, but…" She looked at her bruises, trying to block out the pain. "I think that when the wing exploded, we both crushed into the forest. On the way down, those trees gave us some nasty cuts. We both got hit pretty badly by some of the branches."

Sonic looked around, but just then he realized again that he was in the middle of a clearing. "But there aren't any trees around. And what happened to my legs?" He started rubbing them, in a futile attempt to calm the pain.

"Well, after we feel, I dragged you to a clearing, so that Tails could see us if he flew above us."

"You didn't need to do that. I could've just carried you and ran until we found Tails." He added, until he realized that perhaps we wouldn't be able to run with those legs.

_Wait, I'm stuck here? With Amy, alone, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a forest? And I can't run away? Oh, man…_

"I don't think you can run, Sonic. I think you landed with your legs, and I…landed on them." She added, looking aside, hoping he wouldn't blame her for that.

_Well, that explains a lot._

"So, what? We're stuck here until Tails finds us?" Sonic hated the prospect of just having to wait for him to come get him. And besides, until then, he couldn't go anywhere, and he didn't know what Amy could do. If he couldn't run away...

_Calm down, Sonic. She's not going to hurt you. As long as you're nice to her, she's not going to summon that hammer of hers._

_But dude, the girl squeezes the life out of me with every hug she gives me. And if I can't run away, she'll probably try to hold me captive._

_Don't you think you're overreacting?_

_But I've never spent a night like this with her. She'll probably talk about how romantic it is, all that mushy stuff, and she'll probably bury me in kisses…_

As soon as Sonic thought that, his heart immediately started speeding up, pumping more and more blood at a faster rate. And the more blood was pumped, the more Sonic's legs throbbed with pain. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain, and he grabbed his legs, almost hoping that it would stop the pain.

"Look, the X-Tornado was hit pretty badly, and it might take Tails hours to fix it until he can come get us, so…" Amy had to stop and smile. Maybe this didn't happen the way she planned it, but still, at least one of her wishes would be coming true. "We might have to spend the night here."

_Wait. Spending the night with Amy? Here, alone with her? I need to get out!_

_But you can't._

_I have to run away! Who knows what could happen? No, no, no, this can't be happening to me!_

And as more panic filled his mind, his heart only kept racing, pumping more blood. His legs burnt, it almost felt like pure pain was travelling through his veins. He dug his fangs into his lips, his face tense from the pain.

"Sonic, please calm down. You're only hurting yourself." Amy saw the hero was in pain. He hated seeing him like this. She knew he hated looking like this, so vulnerable. Perhaps she would have to do this herself. If he didn't calm down, then she'd have to do it for him.

"Come on, Sonic, don't worry. Who knows, we might end up enjoying this night. I promise not to hug you…too much." Well, the girl couldn't control herself. Sometimes he looked so cute, so adorable; she simply had to have him in her arms. But if he was in pain, then she would try not to make it worse.

_Look buddy, you're obviously not going anywhere. You might as well make the most of this night. Besides, she just said she'd try to control herself._

_Yeah, like that's reassuring._

_Stop arguing and try to relax. The pain is not going to go away if you don't get a grip on yourself. Just stop worrying so much._

"Fine. Just don't hug me too tightly. I'm still hurting. And don't touch my legs." He said, and sat down, supporting himself with his hands.

"It's a deal." And with this, Amy sat beside Sonic and looked at the starry sky. The sky was filled with stars, every corner delightfully decorated with sparkling dots.

"So…now what?" If he couldn't run, Sonic had to keep himself occupied with something. What's more, he knew that if he got anxious, his impulse would be to run, and if standing hurt him that much, then running would end up being a merciless torture. So he had to do something. But what?

"We wait for Tails to show up." She said calmly. Unlike him, she was willing to wait. Besides, of all the people in the world, she was with Sonic. It was time like these when she realized how lucky she was. Most fangirls would just drool over him and invade his privacy. Well, she didn't think of herself as just another fangirl, but rather a friend of Sonic's. It was a lot more than a million other girls were. She really was lucky.

"But he could take hours to come back. What do we do until then?" He started fidgeting, the energy looking for a way out.

"I don't know. We could talk, look at the starry sky, and…well, that's pretty much it. I'm not dragging you anywhere else. You're pretty heavy." She said with a teasing tone.

"Hey, I'm not heavy!" He took pride in his atheltic body. There was no way he would let her get away with it. Even if she was joking.

"You're not light to carry around."

"I run hundreds of miles all the time. How do you think I beat Egg-head?"

"Yeah, but you're no light eater. I've seen you gobble down chili-dogs by the dozen."

"For your information, they happen to be one of the best meals ever. Besides, I need to keep up my energy."

Just then, Sonic stomach growled, and so did Amy's. They both chuckled at this, and they remembered that because of the mission, both of them had missed dinner. But apart from that, Sonic was surprised by how much he relaxed from this conversation. The light-heartedness of the situation calmed him down, and it distracted him from the pain.

_I told you, and so did she. You might end up enjoying this night._

"Well, it's a good thing I can't run, because if I had some energy in me, I'd probably be running laps around the forest, and that'd hurt as hell." He looked at his legs. He wondered how long it would be until he could stand on his feet again.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. Too bad there isn't any food around. I'd probably try to cook you something."

"Last time I heard, chili-dogs didn't grow in the wild."

"There are others things I could cook you. If you ever came to my house, I'd probably make you something delicious. If you ever say yes." She said, pouting, making sure he saw that gesture.

"Oh, come on, Amy. Don't bring that up." Sonic said, and as soon as he felt guilt in his heart, the pain started to come up again.

_Darn it, why is this happening to me? Does she enjoy making me feel guilty?_

_She just wants you to give her a chance, Sonic. You never gave her a chance to show you what it's like._

_I don't care. Why do I have to suffer every time I feel like this?_

_Like I said, make the most of this night, Sonic. Try to make her happy, okay? Because if you make her angry, she'll bring out that hammer and you'll be in even more pain. Try to calm her down as well._

"All I want is for you to try and give me a chance. I'm not that bad, am I?" She demanded, looking straight at him.

"Well…" He turned his head, avoiding her gaze. Little did he know that that gesture caused him to miss the frown that was beginning to appear in her face.

"Sonic, answer me!" Sonic was already feeling scared. He was always afraid of Amy's temper. Just a few words, a slip of the tongue, was it took to make her furious.

_Here we go…_

"No, of course not! It's just that…I'm just not used to doing that sort of thing." He defended, raising his hands in the air, and looking straight at her, so she didn't think he was avoiding the issue. Even though he wanted to.

"What sort of things?" She asked, still a bit furious but curious as to what he meant.

"You know…" Did he have to bring that subject up? He never really talked about it anyway, but still…Sonic felt uncomfortable about this subject. "Romantic stuff."

Upon hearing that, Amy's frown dissapeared and a smile took over her face. Finally, a chance to try and convince him. "Well, if you gave it a try, you'd see that it's not as bad as you think it is. It's not bad at all. Of course, it's so much nicer when you get to do it with someone else. That's the whole point of romance, to share those wonderful feelings with someone else."

"And by someone else, you mean me?"

"Of course I mean you, silly. Who else?" She said, putting on a cute smile for him. But then again, it never had much of an effect on him.

"Nah, it's just that I never pictured myself doing that sort of thing. I guess I'm just not interested in girls." He said it just as if it were an unimportant comment. But to Amy, those words meant a lot to her.

Well, that was Amy's problem. Sonic wasn't looking for a girl. Still, she was willing to try and change his mind. But still, if he never gave in, she could never show him how she felt. If only he knew, then he would understand what it's like. He would appreciate it. If only…if only he knew what she felt, then perhaps…he might fell the same towards her.

While most of the conversation seemed light-hearted to Sonic, which helped him calm down, he knew that this was a subject that mattered to Amy. And while what he said was true, he also knew that there was a secret he kept hidden deep inside him. In fact, he wanted to tell her…

_No. Don't do it. You'll be giving her false hope._

_It won't be false because it's true._

_No, it's not! You're not thinking straight!_

_Yes, I am. And we both know it's true. There's little point in running away from my own thoughts._

_Don't tell her. Because once you do tell her, there's no going back. She'll hang on to those words forever, and you're not even sure about this._

_I am sure. And besides, don't you think she should know?_

"It's okay." Amy said, facing the ground. Maybe he was never really interested. She would try to make him see otherwise, but still, she shouldn't force him to feel anything. She always figured that she wanted Sonic to love her, not to make him love her. She wanted the feeling to be mutual. She knew it would sound complicated to him, but that was what Amy wanted the most in this world. "I understand. You're just not looking for anybody."

Sonic saw the sadness reflected in her face. Instead of hope and optimism, he saw something different. As if a part of her was giving up, thinking that all her efforts were futile. He didn't want this. He didn't want her to be sad. Truth be told, he wanted to see her happy. She was his friend after all.

"But…" He said, and paused, and then Amy turned around to face him. Sonic looked at her, and saw that hope in her face again, in the form of a little light dancing in her eyes. "If I ever look for a girl…" He paused again, this time thinking about his words.

_Speak the truth, Sonic. You know, deep down, what you're thinking._

"When I look for a girl…I'll look for you."

That glimmer of hope, dancing and twirling in Amy's eyes, was more of a fire in her heart. Happiness filled her body. Maybe her dream hadn't come true…yet. But Sonic just said that he would end up looking for someone…for her. That one day, he would be with her. That he would choose her, above all the others.

_**Maybe I really did win a piece of his heart…**_

"Do you really mean that, Sonic?" He looked at her. She just looked…so happy.

"Of course I do, Amy. You're the only girl that ever caught my eye." He turned his head bashfully, and cursed himself, for he knew he was blushing right now. He could feel his cheeks heating up. He was surprised by how much it took his mind away from the pain, all this talk, this…admitting that he would up looking for her, that she was different from the other girls, it felt weird. His insides felt kinda funny, but he loved it.

"Oh, Sonic!" The situation was more than enough for Amy to want to hug him, but when he turned his head and saw his blushing from this, he was simply to adorable for her to resist. She simply had to hug him. "I'm so happy!" She immediately jumped to hug him, but just before she touched, she looked at his bruises. She remembered that the last time she tried to do it; she only ended up hurting him. But still, he looked so cute, despite all that…

So instead, she slowly put his arms around him, and delicately squeezed him, and held him close to her. She tried to look for signs that it hurt, but she saw none. In fact, he looked almost…pleased that she going this. "Does it hurt, Sonic?"

"Not one bit." It was true. Her touch was much more delicate this time, and none of the bruises complained. It seemed so strange to him, that he was feeling funny inside, and that he felt no pain outside. Even the pain in his legs had calmed down. It felt...really nice. "Thanks, Amy."

"For what?" She asked, wondering if she did something for him that she was unaware of.

"For...being gentle this time." He said, but truth be told, he didn't know how to tell her that he actually grateful...well, not grateful, just...glad she hugged him. He'd never done this before.

"Sonic…if you want me to be gentle, all you have to do is tell me, and I'll give you a nice hug for sure." She said, smiling. She was actually hugging him, and he was letting her do that. She wanted to savor the feeling for as long as she could.

"I'll remember that. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sleep. I'm tired." He said, holding back a yawn, and he noticed his eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

"Of course." She released him, even though she would've liked to keep his arms around him longer. Sonic then lied down, and faced away from her, and tried to block out all of the pain to try and sleep. Hopefully, by tomorrow his legs would be better, or Tails would've found them and soon they would be home.

Amy just sat there for a minute, thinking. It was moments like this made her fall in love with him all over again. Those few and rare moments when he opened his heart to her. When he showed his softer side, when he almost…seemed to be interested in her. She was convinced that there was something inside him, that he had a little something for her. And after this, she knew that indeed there was a place for her in his heart.

Amy then lied down as well, trying to go to sleep. She looked at the starry sky again, trying to be marveled by the stars. But still, that night, it wasn't the moon that made her glow with happiness. It was him. Amy always wanted to be with Sonic, no matter how where or when it happened. And it mattered little to her whether there was a full moon or not, whether the stars were blocked by clouds or not, all that she cared was that Sonic was there. And little by little, she gave in to sleep, and soon both hedgehogs were sleeping peacefully under the moon.

Hours later, Sonic woke up harshly in the middle of the night. It took him a few seconds to wonder why he was awake, when suddenly he realized he felt cold. Very, very cold. It was still night, with hours left before sunrise, but now there was a strong wind blowing around the forest. The icy wind hit Sonic's body, and as soon as he woke up, he started shivering from head to toe.

Although he had fur, that wasn't enough to protect him from the cold. The wind was blowing strong, and the frigid air was tensing his muscles. He felt numb from the cold. What's more, because he hadn't been running, hadn't been doing any sort of activity, he was already cool to start with. And now, he was shivering, his teeth clenching, and he was rubbing his own arms, trying to keep his warmth inside his own body. But it was useless, no matter what he did, he felt as if he was freezing to death.

Just then, he heard whimpering, but it wasn't him. So if it wasn't him, then…

"Amy?" He turned, and saw that Amy was curled up in a ball, trying desperately to keep herself warm. Not even her dress protected her from the wind, as it was scratched from their rough landing. She looked even worse than he did, when every part of her body shivering, trying to keep whatever warmth she had left and he almost thought he saw a tear coming out of her eye from the extreme cold. She looked so vulnerable, so helpless, exposed to the harsh, cold air.

"I-I-I'm, c-c-cold, So-sonic." That was all she could mutter. She felt the icy wind piercing through her skin, threatening to freeze every cell in her body. She was shivering a lot, and her muscles were starting to hurt from trying desperately to keep herself warm. Nothing she did stopped the cold from torturing, and she wanted to scream from the torture. She just wanted it all to stop. She felt her insides complaining from the extreme tempearture. She felt as though it was ripping the life out of her body.

"I-I know. S-so am I." The cold was beginning to feel like an excruciating torture. It felt as though everything was becoming numb, slipping away. It was hard to concentrate on anything, all he could feel was the frigid air stiffening every fiber of his body, and trying to weaken his bones. But he knew that he had to hold on. He had to fight the temptation to slip away into unconsciousness.

Thankfully, the wind calmed down a bit, enough so they could both relax their stressed bodies from their intense shivering, but not enough that both of them were still trying to warm themselves up. But still, they cold was still torturing them, as it threatened to steal all the warmth they had.

Just then, in the middle of the pain and shivering, Amy had an idea. An interesting idea. She didn't know if he'd like it, but she knew that they had very little choice in the matter. And even thinking about it made her flush a little, which warmed her cheeks. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, she never thought she'd ask for it.

"Sonic…" He looked at her; she seemed so…so…fragile. She needed to be protected, to be kept safe. And he felt responsable for that. He didn't want her to suffer, he wanted to protect her from all this, but he didn't know how.

"Sonic, I think I know a way to keep ourselves warm." She said, with a small smile in her lips and with a tinge of excitement running in her head.

"Really? What is it?" He asked, curious. He had no idea how cold he was, but was willing to do anything to stay warm. But Amy didn't answer, rather he just looked at him, leaving him to wonder what was her idea. Until something went 'click' in his head.

_Is she thinking about…?_

_Yes._

"Nuh-uh. No way. There's no way we're doing that." Now THAT was something that always made him uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but the idea of him doing that with her always made him uneasy.

_Didn't you think that you were willing to do anything to stay warm?_

_Well, yeah, but not...not this. I'm not doing it._

_Why? What are you afraid of?  
_

"Please, Sonic. It's the only way to stay warm." She pleaded, hoping that he would give in. She looked at him straight into his eyes, trying to make see just how much she was suffering.

"Yeah, like that's the only reason you're thinking about it." It was obvious to him that she wanted to do it for more than one reason. After all, she probably dreamed of doing this with him already.

"Sonic, please…there's no other way." She pleaded again, this time trying to convey just how cold and vulnerable she felt at that moment. She didn't know what else they could do. She really did him to protect her from the harsh temperature, and this was the only way.

"No! I'm not cuddling with you."

"Please…"

_Well, Sonic, you have to make a choice._

_There is no choice, there's no way I'm doing it._

_You can either sleep alone, and freeze to death with his wind, or you can get close to Amy and share your body heat so that you actually sleep and survive this night._

_But dude, we're going to be cuddling. And then what? She's probably going to say that I have to kiss to keep her alive._

_Don't you think you're overreacting?_

_But we're going to be so close, and I…don't like that. I never been that close to anyone._

_Well, you've never been that close to someone, so you don't really know if you like or not, do you? Besides, you don't have much of a choice. Remember how cold it was? If you choose Amy, you won't have to endure that. She'll keep you warm.  
_

He thought for a second. "Oh, all right. But I'm doing it only because I'll freeze to death if I won't." Part of him was still uncomfortable about the idea, but deep down he knew he was making the right choice. "Come here."

Amy inched herself closer and closer to him, until their bodies were only a few inches apart. Then, Sonic wrapped his arms around the girl, and trying to put aside the fight he was having in his mind, pulled her closer to him until they were touching, and could now share their body heat. Amy also put her own arms around him, and also trying to keep their bodies close, so that none of the heat they were sharing escaped.

_You know, this feels…kinda nice._

It did feel nice. Amy was warm, and it was a pleasant change from the icy wind. He could feel her warmth, and his own heat going to her body, and vice versa. Her soft fur was a much more kinder touch than the cold ground he was sleeping on. Was this what he had been afraid of? This warmth, this sharing was what he'd refused so many times? It didn't make sense to him any longer. No, this was pleasant. He found himself wishing that he could do this all night long. He wanted more of this. He was unsure of what he was feeling, but all he knew was that being this close wasn't so bad after all. It felt good.

"Thank you, Sonic." She said, as she snuggled in his arms. Maybe this wasn't happening the way she dreamed it would, but it was happening. She and Sonic were snuggling together. And although she had to find an excuse, she couldn't think of anything better than being able to snuggle with him. She was in his arms, hugging her so tightly. He could feel his warmth, in his arms, in his body. She could bury her muzzle into his chest, and stay there all night. What else could she want?

_**But still…something's missing…**_

Just then, the wind picked up again, and both hedgehogs felt chills going up and down their spines. Both of them instantly hugged tighter by instinct, trying to make sure whatever heat they had left didn't go away. They both hanged on to each other, desperate to keep themselves warm. Sonic cared little for his shyness at the moment, all he knew that the only way to stay warm was to hug Amy like if releasing her would cause her to disappear.

He felt the cold wind trying to freeze his bones, trying to tense his muscles until they hurt, to numb his body until he couldn't feel it, but it didn't happen. Amy kept him warm. Amy's heat helped him get through this icy torture. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in this weather, but at least he knew that as long as they stayed together, he'd be okay. And he was warm enough that he could ponder on the situation.

_Great, Amy's keeping you warm. So when the wind stops, you're going to release her, right?_

_Why?_

_Because you have no other reason to hug her like this._

_But…it feels nice. Her fur is so soft, and her body is so warm…and I like the way she snuggles in my chest. I don't feel uncomfortable. I like this._

_Wake up, Sonic! It's Amy! The girl who squeezes the life out of you! The stacker, the one who never leaves you alone!_

_Oh, please, those arguments are getting old. She told me before that she would hug me gently if I ask her. Besides, it was a good thing she came with me. Without her, I'd be freezing to death._

_But she getting the wrong idea. She probably thinks that you're cuddling with her because you like her._

_Well, I don't like her that way. But I do know that if I ever have feelings for her, that she will accept them, that she will return those feelings. And…she likes for what I am. She isn't trying to change that, she isn't trying to make me turn into something else. In a weird way…being in a relationship with her, I would be free. Free to be myself._

Coming back to reality, he started to run his hands slowly up and down her back, trying to warm her back. And soon enough, Amy felt warmer, and began to return the favor. Sonic felt her hands going up and down his own back, feeling her warmth travel to his own body. She felt her slowly relaxing, feeling their heat travel and comfort one another. Even though the wind was still blowing hard, they both felt warm, because of each other.

"Thank you, Sonic." She said, trying to show him just how much she needed this, how much she wanted this.

"Don't you worry, Amy. I'll always protect you." He said, and he meant it. He would not let her go, he wouldn't let Amy be taken from him. He wanted her to stay.

And so, both hedgehogs kept themselves warm for the rest of the night. Sonic kept her close to him, making sure he was warm, and that she didn't leave him. Deep down, he protected her, because he hoped that she would still be there when he delevoped feelings for her. He knew that if one day he ended up giving his heart, meant that they could share moments like this, then we was willing to wait, and to keep her safe. He held her close all night, long after the wind had ceased.

The next morning, Sonic woke up. He didn't have the slightest idea when he fell sleep, but he didn't care. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized that he was still holding Amy in his arms, holding her close to him, still in the same position he had spent all night long.

_Okay, you can release now. You made it through the night, now it's over._

_But I don't want to. There's no reason to._

Sonic was already wide awake, his legs weren't hurting anymore…and yet, he kept holding Amy. He saw no reason to let go of her. She was still soft, warm, and she was still Amy. The same Amy he wanted to hold last night. The same Amy he wanted to keep safe, the same lovely girl that had kept him warm.

_Wait a minute. I didn't want to hold Amy for any other reason. Right?_

Sonic was confused. Could there be another reason that he wanted to hold her last night? Was he feeling something else, something new that made him want to hold the girl?

_Maybe you wanted to know what it was like to be so close to someone else. And you chose the perfect girl for that. Amy, the one girl that always wanted to be with you. You wanted to know what it felt like, to be close to someone._

Just then, Amy began to shift underneath him. Sonic loosened his grip on her and lied down face up, but still held an arm around her. Just then, her eyes opened, and the very first thing she saw was Sonic, just beside her, still with an arm around her. With the morning sun shining his figure…he looked so handsome, so good-looking. It was the best way to wake up that Amy could imagine.

"Hey, Sonic." She said, while she was taking his beauty. She couldn't believe that she was waking up next to him. It was something that only happened in her dreams. Until today.

"Good morning, Amy." He said, looking at her. For some reason, her face seemed different. Was it her happiness? Or was it the way her smile made him feel?

"You were still hugging me." She said, exciting to see that Sonic was still doing it, despite the fact that the night was over.

"Yeah." He said, and turned his head again, feeling the familiar shyness coming back to his body. "I guess I just…liked hugging you."

She looked at him again. Why was it that no matter in that situation he was in, he look so gorgeous? But right now, that he was blushing…that image was just so cure to her. "Thanks for keeping me warm last night." And as memories flooded her heart, it was her turn to blush, as she remembered both of them hugging so close, their bodies touching, all night long…

"Don't mention it. Whenever you need help, I will protect you. I promise." He said, looking back at the girl. Something about her was different. Was it her appearance? No, that didn't change. Her personality? Nope, still the same Amy. Then was his heart racing at the sight of her? It wasn't fear, so what could it be? Why did he feel different looking at her? Could it be, that something inside him changed, that maybe he grew a soft spot in his heart for her?

Ignoring it, he turned to face her. "Thanks for keeping me warm, too. It felt…really nice hugging you like that." Now he was really blushing. What was it that made him want to tell her these things? Was it to make her happy?

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy could not possibly hold back another second. He looked so adorable, she couldn't resist her urge to hug. "You mean like this?"

Sonic thought for a moment. It didn't hurt; his injuries had healed overnight. And he found out that he really did like it. Having Amy this close, such a happy girl that wanted to be with him, felt unlike anything else. "Yeah, it feels nice. Really, really nice." Then he put his arms around her, and hugged her as well.

_Maybe I don't like her the way she likes me…but at least I'm comfortable enough to hug her. Maybe getting close to her wasn't as bad as I thought. I think…something happened to me that night. But what was it? What made me change my mind about her? Whatever it was that changed...I like it.  
_

"So, I can hug you now? You're okay with that?" Amy asked, and broke the hug so that she could see him face, hoping that maybe something had changed, that he'd finally let her do this.

"Nope. You can hug me, no problem. As long as you promise not to choke me, you can do it." He said, and with it, a small smile, just for her. "You're not such a bad girl, now that I think about it." He said, smiling even more and winking his eye.

"Are you saying you thought I was a bad girl?" She said, half teasing, half wanting to know the truth. Sonic never really told her how he felt about her.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that…maybe I ought to give you a chance. Maybe we should...have a talk, or have dinner together sometime." He knew he had said the right words when he saw her face light up, the spark in her eyes twirling with excitement, her lips turning into a sweet smile. "What do you think?"

"I think that I've never been this happy! Oh, Sonic, you're the sweetest guy around!" She said, and then give him a kiss of the cheek. She couldn't contain her happiness. Finally, her dream was coming true. Soon, Sonic and her would have a date. Her heart was fluttering from the excitement.

"Aw, thanks, Amy." He said whilst his cheeks blushed even more. Yes, even that kiss...it felt good. He was making the right choice, he was sure of it. It was making her so happy...

Just then, they saw a plane flying above them. Both looked up, and the saw the X-Tornado flying towards them. Well, at least it looked like the X-Tornado. It was missing two wings and had missing pieces everywhere, but it still flew and they once they saw Tails in the cockpit, they knew they found their ticket back home.

"Sonic! Amy!" Tails called from the cockpit, immensely relieved to see them again. He had spent most of the previous afternoon working on the repairs, but by the time he was finished, the wind picked up so much that the X-Tornado in its current state couldn't fly, so he had to spend the night inside the small cabin. He woke up early to try and find them, hoping that didn't they get hurt or freeze to death.

"Tails, you're back!" Sonic said. Man, was he glad to see him back. Finally, he'd go back home. "Wow, the X-Tornado sure took a beating." He inspected the plane. Quite frankly, he was amazed it was still flying, but he knew Tails could handle.

"Yeah, I have to make lots of repairs, but she can still fly. At least, long enough to get us back home." He said, not mentioning that they had used up most of their fuel while searching Eggman the day before.

"Tails, do you know what hit the X-Tornado?" Amy asked, as both hedgehogs got up and stretched their legs.

"I don't know exactly, but I think it was Eggman. I think he attacked us from his base, whenever it is. But we'll come back later; it's no use to go look for it now." He wanted to get home quickly. He could worry about Eggman and all that later. As long as he didn't attack again, all he wanted to do was go back home.

"Yeah, I can't wait to go back home." Sonic proclaimed, and just then his stomach growled loudly, reminding everybody they hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. "Man, I'm starving! Let's go!" Both hedgehogs hopped on the X-Tornado and sat on the two last seats there were left. While Sonic did want to stretch his legs, he also wanted to eat something, if only to regain enough energy to run.

"Hey, Sonic." She said, hoping that maybe...he'd let her do this for him.

Sonic turned around and faced Amy, wondering what was on her mind.

"Listen, if you're hungry, maybe…" Amy turned, unsure if he would accept.

"What is it? You can tell me, Amy." What was she going to ask him? To go a date, to go someplace? He wasn't sure if could yes to that. He knew that he wanted to try and spend time with Amy, but he didn't know if could go on a date with her just yet. Besides, he was really hungry right now, and that was his greastest concern right now.

"Nothing, it's just…" But as she looked at his face, she saw that he wanted to know. If she didn't ask now, she would forever carry that doubt. "I was wondering…if you're really hungry, maybe we could go to my house, and I could cook you some chili-dogs."

She waited for Sonic to answer.

_I think we both know the answer to that one._

"Why, sure, Amy. I'd love to."

**The End**


End file.
